Travelers Championship Round 2: Scottie Scheffler Misses 59 by Inches, Settles for 60 and the Lead

Scottie Scheffler had 59 on the table, a 25-footer on the 18th green to get it. The putt broke away at the end. The consolation prize was a 60 and the lead at the Travelers Championship.

Scheffler shot 10-under 60 on Friday at TPC River Highlands to reach 16-under 124 and lead by two over Viktor Hovland, who nearly beat him to the sub-60 club with a 61 of his own. Eric Cole (65) and Akshay Bhatia (62) are four back at 12 under. Matt Fitzpatrick, Bud Cauley and Ben Griffin all shot 66 to sit tied for fifth at 10 under. Thirty-six holes in, the final Signature Event of the regular season has turned into a two-man sprint with a chase pack trying to keep the leaders in sight.

Eleven Birdies and a Near Miss

The round did not start like history. Scheffler birdied the first, then gave it right back at the par-4 2nd when a wedge from the fairway came up well short and the par putt slid by. After a birdie at the 3rd, everything clicked. He birdied four straight from No. 5 through No. 8, then did it again from No. 13 through No. 16, finishing with 11 birdies against that lone bogey and a 30 on each nine, per Field Level Media and Golf Channel.

The 16th was where the 59 talk got real. Scheffler, who had struggled on that par 3 a day earlier, flushed a 7-iron to about 10 feet and buried the putt. He then saved par from 6 feet at the 17th to keep the dream alive. On 18, from roughly 25 feet, the read was tricky and the ball never took the line he wanted.

A make would have put Scheffler alongside Jim Furyk as the only players in PGA TOUR history with two sub-60 rounds, per the PGA TOUR. Scheffler shot his 59 as a rookie at the 2020 Northern Trust at TPC Boston. Furyk shot his record 58 on this very course in the final round of the 2016 Travelers. Scheffler admitted the number crossed his mind, but he kept the focus where it belonged.

"Today was a day definitely in which most of them were finding the bottom of the cup," Scheffler said.

The 60 ties Patrick Cantlay (2011) and Tommy Bolt (1954) for the best second-round score in tournament history, per Field Level Media.

Hovland Had His Own Shot at It

The scary part for Scheffler is that he wasn't even the only one flirting with 59. Hovland, playing three groups ahead, turned in 30 with an eagle at the par-5 13th still to come, according to Field Level Media. He holed an 18-footer for birdie on 16 and needed birdies on the last two holes for 59. He made pars instead, settling for a 61 that matches his career-best round on TOUR.

"Certainly it was more gettable today than it was even yesterday," Hovland said.

That is a big statement from a player whose last TOUR win came at the 2025 Valspar Championship. Hovland sits at 14-under 126, two back, and is the only player within three shots of the lead.

Morning Wave Advantage

Scheffler was open about the draw. Playing early alongside Sam Burns, he caught softer greens and less wind than he had seen in Thursday's afternoon wave. Heavy rain earlier in the week had already taken the teeth out of the greens, and the morning made it even easier. Scheffler's message about where the lead would settle was simple.

"Who knows what the lead is going to be after today," Scheffler said.

As it turned out, nobody got to him.

Bhatia Rises, Cole Hangs On

Bhatia went 62 and briefly held the lead before Scheffler pulled away. "I know how this golf course can play," Bhatia said. "You got to kind of keep making birdies and try and limit mistakes."

Cole, Thursday's leader, had a more stressful day. After opening with a 63, Cole shot 65 but parred the final eight holes, which on this course feels like giving shots back. Cole pinned it on fatigue. "Maybe just being tired or something and making some tired swings," Cole said. Still, sitting four back after 36 holes is a good spot for a player who withdrew from this event a year ago.

Fitzpatrick, Cauley and Griffin each followed their 64s with 66s to stay within six. Wyndham Clark, the reigning U.S. Open champion, put his Thursday triple bogey behind him with a 64 to climb to 8 under.

Two Kinds of Pressure

The weekend now has a clean storyline. Scheffler has not won since The American Express in January, his first start of the year, and has finished runner-up three times since, per Golf Channel. He is chasing his second Travelers title in three years. Hovland, meanwhile, has the momentum and nothing to lose.

There is a reason no one should be calling this over. This is a course where a 59 was shot two years ago in the third round by Cameron Young and where 58 is the record. A two-shot lead can disappear in 20 minutes on the back nine here. Scheffler, Hovland and everyone four or more back know it.

Saturday will show whether the 60 was a statement or just a very good day.

Catch up on Thursday in our Round 1 recap. Full scoring is on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab), and the TOUR's Round 2 recap (opens in a new tab) has more.

Sources: PGA TOUR (AP Round 2 recap and leaderboard), AP, Field Level Media, Golf Channel. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.